Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-09-18
SOLAR ECLIPSE.
PARTICULARS OF THE PREPARATIONS
FOR TIE EvKHr.
Seeing Tire Sights in Japan-pleasurss
and DiscOmfOrts OF Camp
Life.


noe carpenters did very good work o.
TIE transit and photograph houses, an,
they botl look remarkably well
polcbCd high mp rs they are upon tn,
toIuo't battlements Of one of theti
castles Of old time Japan. doubt If ,
more solid foundation could have beer
CHAINED 'Or The transit thar
that upon which t now rests-th,
stump Of an old cryptomeria, the dec,
and Uldely-cAttndlng roofs Of whici
.ige q finer grasp Of the soil thu,
could he secured by any masonry pier
Tho Photograph house has been con
s'IuttCd so as to form a camera obscnn
. square holeiuonc side OF itieadsintO q
square Tube two feet IN diameter win 'cl
extends ont for distance OF forty fc.t
10 the hue OF the meridian, and which
cQutaiDs numerous circular diaphragm.
70 cut oA eXtraaoous light. This tub,
forms Ii @ telescope Of the camera. at
tne lousc end Of 1t is placed the plate
ppon which the suns image is t.
otvod, aud at the other end is ST.
up the objective, through which the
image OF tue sur is reflected through
luc tube and on to the Photographic
p ate by means OF the rejecting gla
of a heliostat, which is 81 placed as f.
keft Ia corresponding motion 81
that Of the sun, partly b., clock Jra
and partly hy hand. If the day il a
favorable one the totally viii be- pho
toeraphtd on dry plates II inches b7
80 inches i'm size, which viii show an
mage of the sun five inches in diane
tor, aud also good part of the corOrl
q course, for each Photograph the
cuatc distance OF the objective glass
from the Photographic plate will be ii .-
tcrmlncd. If we are successful wit
these photographs they will be the
largest ever taken of.au eclipse.
If The day IS clear ole We will Ger
tainly hc successful, as oar chief pho
iocraphor, Professor r. Hitchcock, OF
tie Smithsonian, is thoroughly COVER
>ant with thc subject in al its detp1s,
and tie expedition is exceedingly for.
tuuatc ia secuiin" his services.
The work for each member Of the
expedition for the day OF the eclipse
has bcu mapped out, and, unless tle
srn is Chscurod by clouds, wiz ho per.
foimcd as follows:
profossor Todd viii have general
charge. and will remain in the photo
graph house to IN IKE all tine cxp0sura
Lieutenant Southcrland will havo
charge Of the pho o-heGonlpb, WI
note the telescope conflicts OF sua enl
moon, and make IL drawing OF the
corona.
Passcd-Assistaut-Eueincer pemb..
ton will have charge of the chrouo
graph, and will assist with the photo
oraphy, and work all mechanism.
Professor Hitchcock viii have caarl.
Of the Photographic work. and VIII
assisted by Mr. Ogawa, the fin ST Jaul
ncse photographer Of Tokyo, and Miss
Hing, ayoung Chinese gin, a good pho
tc9rapher, the adopted DAUGHTER oi
Ir. NcCarty, Gu AmeucIl in the
Chinese service. The japanese mem
hcls Of the expedition viii render slch
service az Profess ~ Todd may dcem
advisable
Or. Hdiiam, the naturalist Of the eX-
petition. arrived here a few days ag0,
having travelled over a good part Of the
i.lopd, made the ascent OF the Ash
mayama mountain, and bagged vol
liable collection OF bugs and insects
His part OF the expedition will be .
success whether the sun comes Out Oh
the day Of tue eclipse ornot.
Preparations are beng made 2OTniD
tie town to receive the great number
If people who are expected t. come 90
the Americans station to witness the
eclipse. As the next tota eclipse Of
tie sun which will be visible in japan
VIII not occur for one hundred years to
come. the intelligent people Of this
generation ore decidedly anxious ~
vIoCss this one. The rnlgoad au-
thoritios have e,.dently grasped the
situation, for they have adopted 81
An erican system and advertised half
rates for several days before and after
tie eclipse. Report he's it that t.
notl6llitics OF the empire,
with many Of the foreign Iapres nta
lives to Japan, viii visit or 81 ton On
,he great day.
Our stay here. notwithstanding thc
many discomiorts of camp lie. hes
been ratherpleasant. Last Sun lay tSo
ot the principal inhabitants kindly vol
mt cred t. show Is the si~hts of this
place. We started ont in iinriclashls,
and after p pleasant ride Of several
miles through beautiful country
stopped at the largest natural monu-
ment III Japan-an immense plain slab
Of stone in a mountain side; with in
scriptiors in japanese characters giving
an account of the many virtues OF aai
the numerous victories gained by tn
celebrated General Tiki, who e. D.
D anded lGe japanese armies some SiX
hundred and tiftY years ago. From This
place We rotraced our route. and pass
ng slowly through the town, some
what after the fashion of a circus pi)-
'eSSiOn, TO be gazed upon and admired
~ great number of naked japanese
children OF both sexes, drove several
niles in an opposite direction through
Mdlbery Worms, aud
-iceiields to . line lake, alongside OF
which We found a tea-house, at which
We stopped to rest, being offered by
he bospitable owner some rank died
ish and some still more rank japanese
shiskcy. This ended our sightseeing
OF the day, and We were informed that
sc had seen all that was of interest
hout Shirakawa except the fine old
.astle in which we are camped.
Shirakawa white River is a neat
ooking town Of 10000 inhabitants,
I'D is principally noted as being one
# tie mot importrnt silk-manuMetI-
ing towns in japan. Through the open |
Doorway Of each third or fourth house |
sc could see yodng japanese girls
Gated beside Large meal bowls OF boil |
ug-hot wa,oT, engaged in getting tde |
IN d from silk cOcOons. These CO.
oons, which are snow-whito in color |
nd look very much like thick peanuts |
n shape, are thrown into bowls of !
.oiling water and stirred around aud |
entity beaten with a stick unit the
hr, ads begin to separate, The grl |
tending them then picks up the
eparate threads from several CO.
oons, joins them together, ard pass
~ them over a narrow brass loop, |
lads them to sman spinnipg-wheei
hch she keeps revolving either with
or bare feet or her .disengaged hand.
n this time, with small smooth stick,
,n hnens the cocoons stiIrlng hronnd |